6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
GIGN (Groupe d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale) making it onto the big screen, and what more than to introduce them via a true, high profile aircraft hijacking of an Air France Airbus 300 plane in the year 1994 involving the supposed attempt of using a fuel laden aircraft as a missile targeted against a major city landmark, a chilling 7 years before a terrorist group managed to carry out this dastardly act on the soil of USA.
Starring: Vincent Elbaz, Grégori Derangère, Mélanie Bernier, Aymen Saïdi, Chems DahmaniThriller | 100% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080/50i
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: LPCM 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, French helmer Julien Leclercq's "L'assaut" a.k.a "The Assault" (2010) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Studio Canal. The only supplemental feature on the disc is the film's original theatrical trailer. In French and Arabic, with imposed English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Thierry
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Julien Leclercq's The Assault arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Studio Canal.
Aside from the fact that this release uses an interlaced transfer, the presentation is indeed very strong. Detail is excellent both during close-ups (see screencapture #1) and large panoramic shots (see screencapture #3). Clarity also never disappoints, even during the nighttime sequences where some of the action is observed from afar. Color reproduction is also very good - there are a variety of very cold grays, blues, and blacks that give the film a notably raw look. There are no traces of post-production lab tinkering. During normal viewing, motion-judder is virtually impossible to spot (I personally was never distracted). There are some minor contrast fluctuations, particularly when light is restricted and there are quick transitions from one event to another, but these fluctuations are directly related to the manner in which the film was shot (digitally). All in all, this is a fine presentation of The Assault, but I wonder why Studio Canal did not use the progressive transfer TF1/Mars Distribution used for their Blu-ray release in France. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and French LPCM 2.0 (with portions of Arabic). For the record, Studio Canal have provided imposed English subtitles for the main feature (they cannot be turned off).
The French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track gives the film a tremendous boost. During the second half, where GIGN raid the plane, a few of the shootouts are likely to test the muscles of your audio system - the sound is very aggressive, exceptionally crisp and at the same time remarkably thick. The surround channels are intelligently used, placing the viewer right in the middle of the fire exchanges between the special forces and the terrorists. The dialog is always crisp, clean, stable, and easy to follow. The English translation is excellent.
I liked this film quite a lot. It is gritty, very intense, and never too emotional. Perhaps it is a bit too fast at times, but it definitely accomplishes its goal. Despite the fact that Studio Canal's release uses an interlaced transfer, the presentation is indeed very good. I also believe that this is the one and only English-friendly release of The Assault. If you reside in a Region-A territory but wish to see the film, please keep in mind that this is a Region-B "locked" release. RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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